Holopothrips magnus Lindner, Ferrari, Mound & Cavalleri, 2018: 61.

Original reference: Lindner MF; Ferrari A; Mound LA & Cavalleri A (2018) Holopothrips diversity—a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae). Zootaxa 4494(1): 001–099.

Family

Phlaeothripidae, Phlaeothripinae

Nomenclatural information

https://thrips.info/wiki/Holopothrips_magnus

Diagnosis

Body light brown, with fore tibiae lighter and all tarsi yellow; antennomeres I–II concolorous with head, III–V yellow, VI yellow weakly shaded brown apically, VII yellow basally and light brown on apical half, VIII light brown; fore wings pale; major body setae brownish yellow. Head about 1.3 times longer than the width behind eyes, dorsal surface with transverse lines of sculpture; postocular setae slightly longer than the diameter of an ocellus, with blunt apexes; maxillary stylets V-shaped and more than half of head width apart; mouth cone rounded with a small tip. Antennae 8-segmented, III–IV with 3 elongated sense cones each. Pronotum weakly striate posteriorly, notopleural sutures incomplete and short; 6 pairs of major pronotal setae, 2 pairs on epimeral region; anteromarginal and posteroangular setae reduced with acute tips, remaining pronotal setae short and with blunt apexes. Mesonotal sculpture formed by irregular reticles, without internal markings. Metanotum with 1 pair of anterior discal setae and 1 major median pair; sculpture formed by short longitudinal lines forming a striate pattern, with internal markings. Fore tarsal hamus short. Fore wings with about 12–20 duplicated cilia. Pelta triangular to arcuate with anterior margin straight, one pair of campaniform sensilla present; sculpture formed by thin elongate reticles medially, with internal markings, larger irregular reticles laterally. Abdominal tergites with transverse lines of sculpture, II–VII with three pairs of wing-retaining setae. Both sexes macropterous.

Females bear an S-shaped spermatheca. Males are slightly smaller, with one pore plate on abdominal sternite VIII: a thin transverse band medially, with punctuate texture.

Intraspecific variation

Not recorded.

Genus and similar species information

Holopothrips is a genus with about 60 known species, distributed almost exclusively in the Neotropics. Several species in this genus are associated to plant galls, as inducers or invaders, in plants of many families. Most Holopothrips species bear three pairs of wing-retaining setae on tergites II–VII, males have complex pore plates and frequently in other sternites besides VIII, and the female spermatheca is visible. About 40 species in this genus have been described or recorded from Brazil. Holopothrips magnus is possibly related to other species in the genus that have a robust body, two pairs of pronotal epimeral setae and metanotum striate, such as H. atlanticus, H. nigrisetis and H. nigrum; but it is easily differentiated by its lighter-colored body, short pronotal setae and male with only a single and thin pore plate on sternite VIII.  

World distribution

Brazil.

Distribution in Brazil

http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/fauna/faunadobrasil/197501 

Life history

This species was collected from leaf galls in Smilax rufescens (Smilacaceae).

Economic importance

Not recorded.

References suggested

Lindner MF; Ferrari A; Mound LA & Cavalleri A (2018) Holopothrips diversity—a Neotropical genus of gall-inducing insects (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae). Zootaxa 4494(1): 001–099.